The most crucial stretch of the season to date for the University of Southern Indiana volleyball team begins Friday at 6 p.m. when it takes on Kentucky Wesleyan College in Owensboro, Kentucky, to start a three match road trip.

USI (8-4 overall, 2-0 GLVC) enter Friday’s match with the Panthers in a five-way tie atop the GLVC standings with Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, the University of Indianapolis, Saint Joseph’s College, and Northern Kentucky University.

The Screaming Eagles play NKU Saturday at 1 p.m. in Highland Heights, Kentucky, and SIUE September 29 at 7 p.m. in Edwardsville, Illinois.

To start the trip, the Eagles are looking to extend an 18-match winning streak over a KWC squad that is winless in nine tries this season. USI is 30-1 against the Panthers since 1989.

After falling to the Norse in three games during the regular season last year, the Eagles came back from two-games down to upend NKU in the GLVC Tournament. USI split the 2003 season-series with the Cougars, losing in four games at Edwardsville before sweeping them at the Physical Activities Center later in the season.